Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation announces up to $ 3 million in funding available to support industry innovations in the field of aging and brain health

TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), led by Baycrest Health Sciences, announced today the third round of funding available through its Industry Innovation Partnership Program (I²P²).

The I²P² program provides an opportunity for companies around the world to accelerate their seniors' care innovations by testing them in a real-world environment. In total, up to $ 3 million CAD in funding will be available for solution testing and validation.

"Our Government is proud to support advancements in innovation for aging and brain health in older adults as we work towards a national dementia strategy," said the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. "Innovative projects and partnerships will help us achieve our goal to improve the quality of life of those living with dementia, both in Canada and abroad."

CABHI maintains a strong commitment to the cognitive and mental well-being of older adults, and the health and social care needs of persons with dementia, and those who care for them, by supporting innovations that are aimed at finding solutions to the following care priorities:

• Aging in place: solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their choices, independence and quality of life to enable aging in the most appropriate setting
• Caregiver support: solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in providing care to older adults with dementia
• Care coordination and navigation: solutions that help older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate care and transitions for older adults with dementia
• Cognitive health: solutions that focus on health promotion, prevention, early diagnostics, and slow the progression of cognitive impairment for aging adults

Applicants must have a mature product or service that they would like to test with older adults at an eligible North American trial partner site. CABHI will provide 50 per cent of the project costs to a maximum of $500,000 CAD to the trial partner site to work with the company, and to test and validate the company's product or service. Successful applicants will be required to co-invest 50 per cent of the project costs through cash and in-kind support.

"Through the Industry Innovation Partnership Program, we are increasingly excited about some of the early benefits to innovators in the seniors' care sector," says Dr. William Reichman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest Health Sciences. "Through this initiative, CABHI is helping to build networks of collaborators to increase capacity in the seniors' care sector for testing innovations."

All projects must be completed within a 12 to 15-month period. Eligible applicants must submit their online application by 5 p.m. on March 12, 2018. Full details and selection criteria are available on the CABHI website.

Funding for this program is provided by the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and the Baycrest Foundation.

View this media release in French.

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) is a solution accelerator for the aging and brain health sector, providing funding and support to innovators for the development, testing, and dissemination of new ideas and technologies that address unmet brain health and seniors' care needs. Established in 2015, it is the result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history. CABHI is a unique collaboration of health care, science, industry, not-for-profit and government partners whose aim is to help improve quality of life for the world's aging population, allowing older adults to age safely in the setting of their choice while maintaining their cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. For more information on CABHI, please visit: www.cabhi.com.

Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti — a free, online brain health assessment for Canadians 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Through its dedicated centres, Baycrest Health Sciences offers unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: www.baycrest.org.

SOURCE Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation